feel poorly
bunged up
lurgy
see if you can guess what inspired this post... achoo.
Friday, 22 February 2008
Monday, 18 February 2008
tredive-femte fødselsdag i københavn
a few weeks ago, s asked me what i wanted for my birthday. on a whim, i said "let's go somewhere...like edinburgh?" the next thing i knew, i had an email from him saying:
"...we're definitely going away for your birthday. Plan to be at Heathrow for a 18.00 flight on the Friday."
oooh, exciting! it turns out that he is very good at keeping secrets, and it was not until the day before we left that i had any clues about our destination, other than that i would need a passport.
photo taken on s's iphone at heathrow before departure
he wrapped his old scandinavian guidebook as a valentine's/birthday gift, and told me we were going somewhere "in there." he provided a few more clues: the weather would be colder than london, but only by a few degrees. there probably would not be snow. i should be ok in normal shoes; no need for heavy boots. by my powers of deduction, and some help from google, i ruled out oslo, stockholm and helsinki based on the weather alone. and sure enough, when i got to heathrow terminal 3, the only 18.15 flight was bound for...
...copenhagen!
outside the rådhuset/city hall
inside the rundetårn/round tower
den lille havfrue/the little mermaid
copenhagen is a lovely city. it feels a bit like amsterdam with the water and boats, but the streets are wider and more spread out. the buildings have a more european feel to them than the ones in reykjavik did.
boats on nyhavn quayside
christiansborg and slotsholmen, the seat of the danish parliament
view of the rooftops. the bridge to malmö, sweden, is just visible on the horizon.
changing of the guard at amalienborg slot/royal palace
we spent most of the weekend wandering around copenhagen, finding new streets and gazing longingly at all the pretty danish design. as usual, the weekend was over far too quick. one more destination to add to the list of places to visit again!
thank you, s, for taking me away!
Thursday, 14 February 2008
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
¡ay caramba!
to the untrained eye, this is simply a bad photo. perhaps a bit yucky, even. but this represents what i hope is a growing movement toward making london feel even more like home.
this, people, is a made-to-order grilled chicken burrito with black beans, cheese, lettuce, rice and salsa. in islington.
two guys who met when they were working at skype decided to open mucho mas, a mexican restaurant in angel, my old stomping grounds. although i was doubtful at first, i welcome the efforts of anyone who knows that salsa is not ketchup. my happy verdict?
it was goooooooooooooood.
nearly on a par on with cactus and gordo back home - i give it extra marks for liberal use of lime and real, fresh, spicy, salsa! imagine! - but they need to work on the portion size. it was one bite too small.
why does it make me so happy that there is mexican food in london that is not wrapped in the unholy yellowness of an old el paso box? isn't it obvious? i am still thinking about this burrito days later. that must be a good sign.
i hope mucho mas catches on, and the guys choose clapham common or wimbledon for their next shop. oh - and a special request: spinach tortillas, por favor!
Tuesday, 5 February 2008
pancake day
today is a big day:
it's super tuesday in the states.
it's carnaval in rio.
and it's pancake day in the u.k.
ok, the second two are essentially different ways to celebrate the same thing, but i've never been part of either one. however, i'm in favor of any reason to eat sweet things, so pancakes it is! luckily enough, my sister sent this awesome crêpe pan for xmas!
in honor of barack obama, i'm calling these cancakes. watch the video.
Wednesday, 23 January 2008
chlorine queen
very proud of myself this week. went swimming yesterday and today. yesterday was great. i had a sudden (very uncharacteristic!) urge to swim during lunch, so i escaped the confines of my office, rode my bike up to the gym (good girl), swam 30 lengths in 30 minutes, and rode back to work.
my dad used to swim at his work; i'm beginning to understand the appeal of swimming in the middle of a workday.
today i went straight after work. the difference is not entirely unpredictable: i had the pool mostly to myself yesterday at 1 PM, whereas it was quite full today at 6:00. still, it was a pleasant swim and a good workout...until i was ready to get out of the pool and noticed that someone had taken my towel! three cheers to the lifeguard for bringing me one from reception.
i would like to go again tomorrow, but first i have to find a new way to dry off.
Sunday, 13 January 2008
who's counting?
remember the boxes i shipped over from my parents' house last summer?
s and i finally went to IKEA last week, and i have unearthed my possessions. i went from 13 boxes to one 2 x 4 expedit shelf on top of a 4 x 4, just barely avoiding the ceiling. notice that many items simply went from living inside cardboard boxes to being neatly packed into wicker ones.
because, you know, it's good to put boxes inside of other boxes.
incidentally, the pile of clothes next to the shelves is a good example of the australian word, "floordrobe."
s and i finally went to IKEA last week, and i have unearthed my possessions. i went from 13 boxes to one 2 x 4 expedit shelf on top of a 4 x 4, just barely avoiding the ceiling. notice that many items simply went from living inside cardboard boxes to being neatly packed into wicker ones.
because, you know, it's good to put boxes inside of other boxes.
incidentally, the pile of clothes next to the shelves is a good example of the australian word, "floordrobe."
Sunday, 6 January 2008
crash bang's daughter
when my father was growing up, he earned the ignominious nickname, "crash bang." not that he deliberately set out to break things, it just happened.
there can be no doubt that i am his daughter.
a few weeks ago, i was cutting a butternut squash to make some soup. i started with our biggest scary knife, and as the pieces got smaller, i moved to the medium-sized knife with a sense of relief. all fingers intact; so far, so good.
ironically - or perhaps inevitably - it was while i was cutting the rind off a small cube with the paring knife that the handle split, leaving the blade inside the squash.
WTF?!
need i add that the paring knife is the one we use the least?
Tuesday, 1 January 2008
Monday, 31 December 2007
last post of 2007
just time to get in one more post before the end of the year...
i see that i only managed 45 blog entries this year (including this one), compared to 72 for 2006. i suppose i could make a new year's resolution to blog more in 2008, but one of the things i enjoy about my blog is that it is completely self-paced. no pressure. i am just as happy with this year's 45 blogs as last year's 72.
so i hope you will continue to stop by and visit. i will try to keep things interesting. who knows what excitement lies ahead in 2008? i, for one, can't wait to find out!
happy new year!
xo, b
i see that i only managed 45 blog entries this year (including this one), compared to 72 for 2006. i suppose i could make a new year's resolution to blog more in 2008, but one of the things i enjoy about my blog is that it is completely self-paced. no pressure. i am just as happy with this year's 45 blogs as last year's 72.
so i hope you will continue to stop by and visit. i will try to keep things interesting. who knows what excitement lies ahead in 2008? i, for one, can't wait to find out!
happy new year!
xo, b
Tuesday, 25 December 2007
merry merry happy happy!
happy holidays from mr. and mrs. d!
it's rainy in london - more a "wet" xmas than a "white" one - and once again, santa failed to bring me a pony, but otherwise, it has been a great day filled with lovely surprises.
hope you're having a good day, too!
Thursday, 13 December 2007
getting ever closer...
you may be interested to know that i passed my life in the u.k. test yesterday. the study guide was definitely key since all the questions and answers were taken directly from it. i spent about two weeks studying, quizzing myself with flash cards, and taking free online practice tests. overkill? yes, but i really wanted to pass the first time around.
being the nerd that i am, i actually read the whole book, although the test only covered chapters 2-6. it is still a mystery to me why chapter 7 is not included: knowing the law. you would think this would be the most important thing for immigrants to have ingrained in their memories!
after all that prep, and over half an hour of admin to get the test underway, i finished all 24 questions in 3 minutes. i made myself go back and review them, so that added another 3 minutes to my time. mercifully, the test centres do not make you wait for everyone else to finish. i got my pass certificate and left almost immediately.
they do not tell you your score, but i was confident about my answers to 23 out of 24 questions, and when i checked the last one in the book afterwards, i had answered that one correctly, too. hoorah!
next steps:
i have applied for a new u.s. passport in my married name - the last official document needing to be changed. i am waiting for it to come back.
in late march/early april, i can apply for indefinite leave to remain (permanent residency).
the final step is applying for british citizenship in 2009 (as long as they do not change the requirements between now and then.)
i have had an up-and-down time with immigration, but looking at it from this perspective, it is not all that bad. at least i have more options and less hassle than many people trying to live and work in this country. (knock on wood, fingers crossed, and hopefully not 'famous last words', she whispered superstititously!) even paddington bear is not immune to immigration laws!
being the nerd that i am, i actually read the whole book, although the test only covered chapters 2-6. it is still a mystery to me why chapter 7 is not included: knowing the law. you would think this would be the most important thing for immigrants to have ingrained in their memories!
after all that prep, and over half an hour of admin to get the test underway, i finished all 24 questions in 3 minutes. i made myself go back and review them, so that added another 3 minutes to my time. mercifully, the test centres do not make you wait for everyone else to finish. i got my pass certificate and left almost immediately.
they do not tell you your score, but i was confident about my answers to 23 out of 24 questions, and when i checked the last one in the book afterwards, i had answered that one correctly, too. hoorah!
next steps:
i have applied for a new u.s. passport in my married name - the last official document needing to be changed. i am waiting for it to come back.
in late march/early april, i can apply for indefinite leave to remain (permanent residency).
the final step is applying for british citizenship in 2009 (as long as they do not change the requirements between now and then.)
i have had an up-and-down time with immigration, but looking at it from this perspective, it is not all that bad. at least i have more options and less hassle than many people trying to live and work in this country. (knock on wood, fingers crossed, and hopefully not 'famous last words', she whispered superstititously!) even paddington bear is not immune to immigration laws!
Sunday, 9 December 2007
kitchen time
i have been spending some quality time in the kitchen lately. shortly after our trip, tempted by the promise of familiar north african flavors (and quick prep time), i made moroccan chicken pot pie, sans olives. this is one recipe that will be repeated!
this week, i switched gears into holiday mode, and that is how the table found itself covered in gingerbread men.
the eagle-eyed among you may notice that i had some fun designing gingerbread men for an all-male, predominantly gay, dinner party. the two in the front row left have clearly been clubbing in their studded belts and collars. YMCA...! the second from the right began life wearing a scarf, boots and mittens (yes, that's obviously what they are) but things went wrong when i tried to add a white snowsuit. the result? daffyd thomas, the only gay in the village. fortunately, among 7 hungry men, none of the little cookies went unwanted...
this week, i switched gears into holiday mode, and that is how the table found itself covered in gingerbread men.
the eagle-eyed among you may notice that i had some fun designing gingerbread men for an all-male, predominantly gay, dinner party. the two in the front row left have clearly been clubbing in their studded belts and collars. YMCA...! the second from the right began life wearing a scarf, boots and mittens (yes, that's obviously what they are) but things went wrong when i tried to add a white snowsuit. the result? daffyd thomas, the only gay in the village. fortunately, among 7 hungry men, none of the little cookies went unwanted...
Sunday, 25 November 2007
from petra to the pyramids
S and I just came back from a two-week tour of Jordan and Egypt. It was so incredible and we did so much that I am not quite sure how to distill it into small enough chunks to keep you interested... but here goes!
We flew to Amman and arrived late in the evening. We had an early morning departure from our hotel, so aside from a death-defying sprint across the street to buy some bottled water, we didn't see much of the Jordanian capital. We later discovered that the speeding cars in Amman were positively calm compared to the polluted morass of Cairo, but at the beginning of our trip, playing human frogger felt quite exotic and dangerous. I was also reminded of the oft-quoted fractured English sign commanding drivers to "tootle [horns] with vigor."
From Amman, we drove to the impressive Roman ruins in Jerash.
Complete with ... bagpipes?!
Driving on, we stopped for a late-afternoon dip in the Dead Sea. It's true: it's virtually impossible not to float in the Dead Sea. I tried to roll over onto my stomach at one point and my legs shot up above my head. Much easier to lie back and bob on the surface, avoiding getting the water on your face or in your hair. The one thing they don't tell you is how oily the water feels. Very odd but pleasant. And on the other side of the Dead Sea, you can see Israel.
The following morning, we toured Kerak Castle...
...on our way to the highlight of the trip, Petra. Before the trip, I didn't know much about Petra beyond photos of its famous Treasury, and what little I can remember from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
I had no idea how expansive Petra is - it is hard to conceive of the scale of the place until you're in it. First, you walk about 2km through a gorge known as the Siq.
For those who prefer not to walk, there are various options including camels and horse-drawn carriages.
And suddenly, the Treasury reveals itself.
The Treasury is absolutely beautiful, and it is hard to imagine how they carved it so carefully out of the rock. S and I had a hard enough time weatherproofing our windows over the summer, and that was using a proper ladder only 15 feet up. The Treasury stands 40m high!
Walking on from the Treasury, we began to discover the rest of Petra. Behind us in the distance, you can see the entrance to the Monastery climb, which we did the next day.
In the evening, we retraced our steps through the Siq to the Treasury by twilight. This time there were no camels, no horses, no talking even. The path was lit by hundreds of luminarias, and it felt like you could see every star in the universe. We sat in front of the Treasury, staving off the cold with Bedouin sage tea, watching the candles play inside the paper bags, and listening to traditional Bedouin music. It was my favorite part of the trip.
The following morning, we walked through the Siq, past the Treasury, once more on our way to the Monastery. Inside the Siq, it was quite chillly but out in the exposed sunlight it was deliciously warm. Our climb took us further into the mountains, up a fairly steep donkey path.
We stopped for tea at the top of the mountain. Of all the possible animals that could roam feral around Jordan and Egypt, I was glad that the most ferocious creatures we encountered were kittens.
From Petra, we drove out into Wadi Rum and the desert.
After bumping through the desert in land rovers, the camels were a welcome relief!
While we were marveling about traveling through the desert by camel, the young guides couldn't switch off - this one was texting on his mobile. Incredible that he even had a signal!
At the end of our ride, the guide offered to buy me for 10 camels. S said he wouldn't let me go for less than 20...
Our evening in the desert was calm and peaceful.
We slept in a Bedouin tent and swapped stories over the camp fire. The only thing missing was the s'mores.
From the desert to the sea... We drove to the resort town of Aqaba, for a mellow farewell to Jordan.
We took the ferry from Aqaba to Nuweiba, entering Egypt for the first time, and drove to Dahab. I snorkeled while S explored the town. The coral reef was beautiful, but I was grateful for the wetsuit - the water was surprisingly cold.
This cheeky kitty snatched the last bit of our pizza lunch, and then proceeded to lick the plate clean.
After a few relaxing days on the Red Sea, we headed inland to St Catherine's (equally spelled St Katherine's), at the base of Mt. Sinai, where Moses is said to have received the Ten Commandments. We had a 1 AM wake up call and began climbing an hour later. The path was a gradual 7km to the top; with an additional 750 steps to the peak. Between S's patient encouragement and my iPod, I made it to the top and we joined the group to watch the sunrise.
After a quick look around St Catherine's Monastery, we had our longest drive: nearly eight hours across the Suez, into African Egypt, and finally to Cairo. In the morning, we visited the Pyramids in Giza. They truly are amazing. It was a bit sad that they are so overrun with tourists and vendors, but the pyramids do not appear to be suffering - testament to the fact that they were built to last.
Dinner was in Khan el-Khalili Market, right smack dab in the middle of the hustle and bustle. By the way, the food was great. In Jordan, we ate all the fresh veg and enjoyed mezze, pita and mixed grills. In Egypt, we avoided uncooked veggies, but still had lovely grilled meat and bread.
We took a side trip to Alexandria. Unfortunately we ended up driving about 3.5 hours each way only to spend about 3 hours in the town.
We zoomed around the Roman amphitheater...
and saw the catacombs.
I would have liked to roam around the market, but as it was, we saw it from the bus. Note that the vendors have to move their wares off the tram tracks to allow streetcars to pass!
Last, we wandered around Fort Qaitbey. The weather had been rainy in Alexandria and the Mediterranean Sea was wild, especially compared to the Dead Sea and Red Sea.
Back to Cairo for our final day. We did a whirlwind tour of Coptic and Islamic Cairo, visiting a church, synagogue and mosque in rapid succession.
The Hanging Church
Ben Ezra Synagogue
Muhammad Ali Mosque
The trip was over far too fast, but we have over 1,000 photos between us and tons of memories... We also have at least one reason to go back: we didn't see the Valley of the Kings. Next time!
We flew to Amman and arrived late in the evening. We had an early morning departure from our hotel, so aside from a death-defying sprint across the street to buy some bottled water, we didn't see much of the Jordanian capital. We later discovered that the speeding cars in Amman were positively calm compared to the polluted morass of Cairo, but at the beginning of our trip, playing human frogger felt quite exotic and dangerous. I was also reminded of the oft-quoted fractured English sign commanding drivers to "tootle [horns] with vigor."
From Amman, we drove to the impressive Roman ruins in Jerash.
Complete with ... bagpipes?!
Driving on, we stopped for a late-afternoon dip in the Dead Sea. It's true: it's virtually impossible not to float in the Dead Sea. I tried to roll over onto my stomach at one point and my legs shot up above my head. Much easier to lie back and bob on the surface, avoiding getting the water on your face or in your hair. The one thing they don't tell you is how oily the water feels. Very odd but pleasant. And on the other side of the Dead Sea, you can see Israel.
The following morning, we toured Kerak Castle...
...on our way to the highlight of the trip, Petra. Before the trip, I didn't know much about Petra beyond photos of its famous Treasury, and what little I can remember from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
I had no idea how expansive Petra is - it is hard to conceive of the scale of the place until you're in it. First, you walk about 2km through a gorge known as the Siq.
For those who prefer not to walk, there are various options including camels and horse-drawn carriages.
And suddenly, the Treasury reveals itself.
The Treasury is absolutely beautiful, and it is hard to imagine how they carved it so carefully out of the rock. S and I had a hard enough time weatherproofing our windows over the summer, and that was using a proper ladder only 15 feet up. The Treasury stands 40m high!
Walking on from the Treasury, we began to discover the rest of Petra. Behind us in the distance, you can see the entrance to the Monastery climb, which we did the next day.
In the evening, we retraced our steps through the Siq to the Treasury by twilight. This time there were no camels, no horses, no talking even. The path was lit by hundreds of luminarias, and it felt like you could see every star in the universe. We sat in front of the Treasury, staving off the cold with Bedouin sage tea, watching the candles play inside the paper bags, and listening to traditional Bedouin music. It was my favorite part of the trip.
The following morning, we walked through the Siq, past the Treasury, once more on our way to the Monastery. Inside the Siq, it was quite chillly but out in the exposed sunlight it was deliciously warm. Our climb took us further into the mountains, up a fairly steep donkey path.
We stopped for tea at the top of the mountain. Of all the possible animals that could roam feral around Jordan and Egypt, I was glad that the most ferocious creatures we encountered were kittens.
From Petra, we drove out into Wadi Rum and the desert.
After bumping through the desert in land rovers, the camels were a welcome relief!
While we were marveling about traveling through the desert by camel, the young guides couldn't switch off - this one was texting on his mobile. Incredible that he even had a signal!
At the end of our ride, the guide offered to buy me for 10 camels. S said he wouldn't let me go for less than 20...
Our evening in the desert was calm and peaceful.
We slept in a Bedouin tent and swapped stories over the camp fire. The only thing missing was the s'mores.
From the desert to the sea... We drove to the resort town of Aqaba, for a mellow farewell to Jordan.
We took the ferry from Aqaba to Nuweiba, entering Egypt for the first time, and drove to Dahab. I snorkeled while S explored the town. The coral reef was beautiful, but I was grateful for the wetsuit - the water was surprisingly cold.
This cheeky kitty snatched the last bit of our pizza lunch, and then proceeded to lick the plate clean.
After a few relaxing days on the Red Sea, we headed inland to St Catherine's (equally spelled St Katherine's), at the base of Mt. Sinai, where Moses is said to have received the Ten Commandments. We had a 1 AM wake up call and began climbing an hour later. The path was a gradual 7km to the top; with an additional 750 steps to the peak. Between S's patient encouragement and my iPod, I made it to the top and we joined the group to watch the sunrise.
After a quick look around St Catherine's Monastery, we had our longest drive: nearly eight hours across the Suez, into African Egypt, and finally to Cairo. In the morning, we visited the Pyramids in Giza. They truly are amazing. It was a bit sad that they are so overrun with tourists and vendors, but the pyramids do not appear to be suffering - testament to the fact that they were built to last.
Dinner was in Khan el-Khalili Market, right smack dab in the middle of the hustle and bustle. By the way, the food was great. In Jordan, we ate all the fresh veg and enjoyed mezze, pita and mixed grills. In Egypt, we avoided uncooked veggies, but still had lovely grilled meat and bread.
We took a side trip to Alexandria. Unfortunately we ended up driving about 3.5 hours each way only to spend about 3 hours in the town.
We zoomed around the Roman amphitheater...
and saw the catacombs.
I would have liked to roam around the market, but as it was, we saw it from the bus. Note that the vendors have to move their wares off the tram tracks to allow streetcars to pass!
Last, we wandered around Fort Qaitbey. The weather had been rainy in Alexandria and the Mediterranean Sea was wild, especially compared to the Dead Sea and Red Sea.
Back to Cairo for our final day. We did a whirlwind tour of Coptic and Islamic Cairo, visiting a church, synagogue and mosque in rapid succession.
The Hanging Church
Ben Ezra Synagogue
Muhammad Ali Mosque
The trip was over far too fast, but we have over 1,000 photos between us and tons of memories... We also have at least one reason to go back: we didn't see the Valley of the Kings. Next time!
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